Random Tales
by WindWitch00
Summary: A collection of nakamaship one-shots surrounding Robin and the rest of the crew. Just 'cause there's not enough Robin love out there.
1. The Angel

**A/N**: Hi! So I'm having issues understanding Sanji's character as far as my main story so I wrote this drabble to help understand him a little better and to see if my take on him is okay. Of course, it probably would have helped to write a serious part but maybe that will come later. In any case, enjoy!

The Angel

Robin stared down at the purple, almost white, dress a light smile on her face. I simply stared at the dress in appreciation, the way that it fit her curves, making her look even more stunning than usual. The shopkeepers fluttered around her, making sure that the long flowing dress fit her correctly. I watched to make sure not a single one of them dared to touch her in an inappropriate way, ready to beat the crap out of any shitty person who dared to try.

The raven-haired beauty's gaze went to me, lips pursing. "What do you think, Mr. Cook?" she inquired softly. I swayed back and forth in happiness, delighted that she would ask my opinion.

"Robin-chan looks even more beautiful than usual," I bubbled. She smiled in appreciation. My dear Nami's taste in attire was perfect, as usual, even to fit the other angel who graced the ship with her presence. Robin's gaze went to the shopkeepers.

"I'll get it," she told them calmly. The main storekeeper bobbed her head. She was a pretty woman, although she had nothing on either of my crewmates.

"Your friend already purchased it for you. She simply wanted you to try it on first, just in case we needed to make any alternations," Robin looked slightly shocked for a moment before smiling gracefully.

"I see. I'll need a box to take it back to the ship in," she murmured before her attention turned back to me. "Mr. Cook, could you go tell Mr. Swordsman that I'll be down in a moment?" I nodded quickly, although I wasn't looking forward to talking to the grumpy shithead. Normally he was fine, a good sparing partner for whenever I needed to release some tension but today was one of his unbearable days. But the fool was always grumpy when Nami forced him to coming shopping.

I didn't understand why Nami had insisted upon him coming since he was useless in this type of mood. I was plenty of protection for the archeologist alone, even if the town was filled with bounty hunters. It wasn't as if he would protect her if needed, spouting his nonsense about there being no difference between a man and woman, never understanding that a gentleman would always protect a lady.

Nonetheless, since it was a request from a pretty lady, I moved to go tell the swordsman that we could go soon. He would probably be relieved, considering he had bluntly refused to come in and see Robin in all her beauty deciding to guard the door four floors down. As I turned, there was suddenly the loud sound of footsteps rushing at me. I turned quickly, kicking my attacker as he tried to stab me in the back. He fell to the floor with a cry.

My gaze whipped around the room in an instant, searching to see if Robin was alright. Several men fell to the floor near her, spines snapped. The seriousness on her face made me feel guilty. I wasn't fulfilling my duty to her, letting her fight like that. I rushed to her, knocking down every single shitty bounty hunter who posed a danger to her. Within minutes, every one of them was on the ground and Robin uncrossed her arms from her chest. I scanned her body, to make sure that none of the shitty men had injured her in any way. If so much as a scratch marred her body, I was going to kill that shitty swordsman. I found no sign that she had been touched in the least, however, to my relief.

The black-haired beauty seemed to making sure the same applied to me before a smile replaced the serious expression. Her gaze went to the storekeeper, who was looking extremely nervous. All she received was a graceful smile. "I would still like that box," Robin told her politely. The storekeeper trembled slightly, curtsied and ran into the back.

I walked over to the window and made sure there were no more of the shitty bastards waiting outside for us. I didn't see any nor did I see Zoro fighting. Unless he had let them get past him, there was no attack waiting outside for us. I was busy double-checking the surroundings downstairs when Robin shouted out a warning and a pair of hands shoved me, roughly, right through the window.

The feeling of falling took over my body in an instant and I only had moments to realize my mistake. This fall would hurt and the idiotic swordsman wouldn't let me hear the end of it. But if I was hurt, I was certain my dear Nami would spend her time tending to me. The thought made me swoon as I fell, although my body was still waiting for impact, eyes closing.

The impact never came, however, just the feel of arms wrapping around my body and the feeling of falling vanishing. My eyes snapped open in surprise, catching sight of a pair of pure white wings and an angelic white dress fluttering in the air behind what was certainly a woman hugging me tightly. It was clear I was dreaming or that the impact had set me into a daydream where a beautiful angel rescued me and I simply hoped that I would be able to stay in it.

"Are you alright, Mr. Cook?" the angel's voice murmured in my ear. By this time, I was swooning in the angel's arms, shocked at how realistic of a dream this was, unable to utter a response. There was the soft feeling of a landing, my feet touching the ground, the angel bending down to set me on the ground, stunning blue eyes staring at me. There was worry in them before amusement took over and black hair fluttered around the face, contrasting strongly with the white wings. The angel pulled away from me, amusement on her face.

It was odd, the angel almost looked like Robin, although I was disappointed for some reason that the face didn't look like Nami's. "Mr. Cook?" the angel repeated, this time no worry in her face. I continued to stare, my eyes no doubt hearts, ready to cry out at her, when the ugly mug of Zoro appeared next to the angel. All my joy vanished in an instant, along with my dreams as I realized that the angel was Robin, her wings made up of hands.

"What the hell happened to you, dart brow?" Zoro inquired in amusement. Robin's lips twitched into a smile as she stood up fully, wings disappearing from her back in a puff of flowers. I quickly got over my dreams to answer the swordsman, my mood sour at him for ruining my dreams.

"We were attacked by bounty hunters, you bastard," I growled. He continued to grin. The archeologist's attention was caught by a nearby story and she walked away silently, almost-white dress swishing after her.

"You're pathetic. I thought you were going to protect Robin, not that she was going to protect you," he mocked. I stood up slowly, putting a cigarette in my mouth and lighting it, leaning forward slightly, stewing silently at his comment.

"You want to start something, you shitty swordsman?" I inquired harshly. His grin increased, one hand sliding down to where he had his katana. Without a word, he rushed at me. I quickly moved my left leg to block him, stopping his blade easily. We proceeded as usual attacking then defending until Robin walked back out of the bookstore she had gone into, expression calm. Two hands quickly forced us apart lightly, both us turning to look at the woman in front of us.

She forced books into both of our hands with a smile and a quiet "Thanks," before supporting her backpack over her shoulder and walking towards the ship. Zoro stared down at his in confusion. I didn't bother to look down at mine, happy to carry Robin's pile of books for her. Of course, he didn't feel the same way.

"Hey, what…" Zoro started to protest before a look of surprise spread across his face. He stared at the books one last time before going after her. Wondering what had surprised him; my gaze went to the books she had given me. They were all cook books of some kinds, most from islands we hadn't been too. Robin-chan's generosity knew no bounds! I walked after her quickly, only to see that Zoro had taken my place beside her, no room on her other side for me to walk. I took in her relaxed pose and the calm, brilliant smile that she sent at the swordsman and realized one thing: my beautiful angel had been stolen by a barbaric demon.

**A/N:** So what did you think? Is my characterization good or bad? If you found anything odd or that seemed off, please tell me! Thanks!


	2. A New Pet

**A/N: **So instead of being productive and working on characterization of CP9, I wrote this. Although it did turn out rather cute, in my opinion. Main character for this one is Zoro and there is a slight Robin/Zoro pairing on this one. Enjoy!

A New Pet

A disembodied hand held up the rat me to see as Nami ranted on about finding it and how it was stealing all our food resources. I yawned and closed my eyes, ready to continue my afternoon nap, ignoring her speech entirely.

"Zoro!" the witch was suddenly scolding. "Are you listening?" I opened up one eye to peer at her.

"Yeah," I replied smoothly, not meaning one word of it. Why couldn't she understand I was trying to sleep? Her arms positioned themselves on her waist, scowling down at me. Her raven-haired partner in crime stood nearby, one of her irritating all-knowing smiles on.

Usopp interrupted the conversation before it could get any farther, shouting that the new island was in sight. The navigator's attention was drawn way from me and I let my attention go back to getting some well-needed sleep. A light laugh disturbed me again, this time coming from the archeologist. I didn't bother to open my eyes.

Within a few minutes, the crew was leaping around in the normal joy of arriving at a new island. I didn't care. They could all go and shop in the town and I would stay and guard the ship as usual. I would finally be able to get some sleep without anyone annoying me. The feel of the ship docking was a relief to me. We had reached the land and I was free to block out the crew's noises.

I wasn't able to block out the sound of Robin growing closer however. My eyes opened before she reached me as I prepared to be talked to about something, as she often did. The archeologist walked by me however, not saying a word, bag slung over one shoulder, hat upon her head and a gleam in her eyes. The gleam was familiar, a gleam that only came when she had a new book or when she was going to find some piece of dusty history. My gaze followed her as she walked off the ship, not saying a word to anyone.

Nami noticed her leaving in an instant. "Where are you going, Robin?" she called after her.

The archeologist's voice came from the ground. "I'm going to check out the ruins on this island," she replied. Nami frowned before her greed got the better of her, Beli becoming her eyes.

"I'm coming with you," she said quickly. "Just give me a second!" Her gaze scanned the ship quickly, as if making sure everything was in order.

"I'm surprised that you're interested in the people of the spider, Miss Navigator," Robin's voice said. Nami froze, the Beli disappearing. I closed my eyes with a grin. "They say their giant pet still roam around the ruins,"

"What kind of pet?" Nami inquired shakily.

"I believe it was an enormous spider," the archeologist said. I opened one eye, just so I could see the navigator's face. It made it clear that she wasn't going to be joining the archeologist.

"I think I'm going to go shopping," Nami said with a grimace. Her eyes scanned the ship once again, no doubt looking for some fool to go with the raven-haired woman. "Usopp, go with her," she ordered. Usopp appeared in my vision, eyes wide.

"I'd love to Nami, but I have this I-can't-go-to-old-ruins disease," he explained. Nami frowned.

"I don't care! Go with Robin," she re-ordered. Her gaze locked on me with a wicked smile. "Zoro…" I stood up quickly, recognizing the look in her eyes. She was going to make me come shopping with her and carry all the stupid bags. Before she was able to order me to do it, however, I called down to Robin, who was still standing by the ship.

"Oi, Robin, wait for me," Nami stared at me in shock. The archeologist simply smiled at me, cocking her head slightly. I leaped off the ship in an instant. Normally the only time I'd accompany Robin was under protest. There was something about her that unnerved me completely. Maybe it was the way she treated me like a child when it wasn't needed, her smile never wavering, always patient. But at least I would be able to sleep if I went with her. She'd spend all day examining some old text and I could sit and sleep.

"Shall we go?" she inquired, the small smile on her lips before she strode off. I didn't look back at the ship, just started walking. Her gaze followed me for a moment. "You're going the wrong way," her voice suddenly chided. I stopped in an instant before she walked past me, going the opposite way. I grimaced as I followed her. Or at least I thought she was the lesser of two evils.

…

A few minutes later, we were nowhere near any ruins, but in the center of a town, in a pet store of all place. I didn't question the woman's motives, just kept silent because I knew it would save me embarrassment in the long run. She was currently looking at kittens of all things, talking to the shop keeper as she stroked a black cat's fur. The ball of fur was rubbing against her, obviously in love with the irritating woman. Suddenly her face fell, she set down the kitten with a quiet, "I see" and walked back towards me.

She left the store quickly, without another word although I could tell that she was disappointed for some reason. I simply followed, slowing down to eye a liquor store carefully, wishing I had money to buy some rum. Robin noticed my slowing and turned.

"You coming?" she inquired. I sent one last look at the store.

"Yeah," I told her and began to speed up. She waited for a moment, to allow me to catch up before she began to lead both of us deep into a wood nearby. We had just taken a few steps when she stopped and knelt by the ground, scooping up some rock, gently pulling it out of the ground. I leaned against the nearest tree and watched as she brushed the dirt off it with a small smile, pulling out the journal she carried with her, wrote down a few notes and put the rock back.

Then she was off again, her pace quickening as she strode through the thickening trees, a rare smile on her lips. I followed silently. A few minutes later we stopped again and she knelt by a rock projecting itself out of the ground. Upon closer examination, I realized it had some ancient language on it. She seemed to read it before looking up at me in consideration.

"It would seem that I was incorrect about the people who lived here," she toned quietly. "They worshipped a jaguar, not a spider," I simply stared, wondering why she had even said anything. "I simply hope the jaguar guardian doesn't find us enemies and rip out our intestines," she added.

A grin came to my face. Fighting off some jaguar guardian sounded like the perfect opportunity to train today. Hopefully it would be a challenge to fight and I would be able to be serious. Robin took in my face with a silent gaze before standing.

"The ruins are supposed to be over in this direction," she told me before walking over to the left, leaving the main path and slowly cutting her way through the plants that blocked the way with a small blade. I scanned the surrounding forest before following, keeping my guard up for the supposed jaguar guardian.

The sound of water became obvious as we trekked through the trees and after walking a while longer, the source appeared in a river. Robin stopped at the edge of it with a frown. I walked to the edge of it, standing next to her as she frowned at the water. I looked at the current. It wasn't that bad, we could just swim. It would be a good challenge. Then I remembered that she had a devil's fruit ability. Shit. How was she going to get across?

Before I could think of something, she was walking upstream, towards a fallen tree in the middle of the river, stretching across it. She said nothing, just walked across it calmly, unaffected as she crossed the water. I considered swimming before taking her path since I was unsure if the archeologist would wait for me.

Her gaze was already elsewhere by the time I crossed and then she was walking off once again, this time heading upstream, eyes intent on what seemed to be a large structure in the middle of the trees. The closer we came, the more obvious it became that the structure was the ruins she was looking for. The moment we arrived, she began to run her hands across the walls of the outside where the same ancient text from the stone she had found earlier on it. I sat down by a comfortable tree and closed my eyes, knowing that she was strong enough to deal with any conflict that appeared.

…

"Mr. Swordsman?" Her voice woke me up and I opened my eyes slowly. Was she already done? My gaze caught sight of the sun in the sky. It hadn't moved too much. I noticed slowly she was holding something small and compact. It was almost black but there seemed to be a pattern on it. Yellow-green eyes opened and gazed up at me. I blinked. What the hell was that?

Before I could even question what the woman was doing, she put the jaguar kit in my lap, her face calm. "Watch after him while I finish inside the temple," she ordered evenly and walked away. Unblinking eyes stared up at me before the head turned sideways as hers often did, as if it was trying to get a better look at me. My gaze went to her retreating figure, then back to the cat that was now examining my katana. As I watched, it began to bat them around, like some toy. 

"Oi!" I shouted at it, picking it up so it would stop. Yellow-green eyes met mine before a small paw jutted out poking at my face with nails. I pulled it out of range quickly, still holding it in the air. Eyes met mine again before the paw came towards me again, a curious playfulness in the eyes before the cub began to squirm, making me drop it. As soon as it hit the ground, it ran into the temple. I watched it run before realizing that Robin had asked me to look after the annoying thing. I quickly stood and ran after it.

The archeologist was examining a wall inside, her back turned to me when I skidded inside. The cub was nowhere in sight. Then I saw movement in the corner of my eye before a ball of fur hit my head, claws extended in a pounce. My eyes widened in horror. Chopper was bad enough when he decided to attach himself to my head. The jaguar kit was much worse, hitting like one of Luffy's punches, the force of the pounce almost knocking me over.

Robin turned around in an instant, watching with interest as I attempted to pry the little demon off my head. A hand appeared to help me, lifting the kit off slowly before she began to laugh. She put her hat back on, placed her journal in her backpack, put it on and walked towards me, taking the now wiggling kit from the hand. It settled down quickly, eyes gazing at her like she was its mother.

"I believe its time we returned to the ship," she told me with a smile. "And we left the new guardian of the ruins to his duty," she added fondly before setting the kit down on the floor and walking away. I set one last wary glance at the animal before following. We didn't even reach the edge of the trees before it began to yowl, sounding like someone had died. I didn't turn. Robin did, a frown on her face.

I watched her face slowly turn from calm to sympathetic as she watched the animal. She sighed softly before walking back and scooping up the kit. It quickly rubbed against her and made a mewing noise. Her face made it clear that she wasn't leaving it behind.

"It would seem that he doesn't want to stay," she told me. A gentle look crossed her face. "I don't believe the other will mind taking him in, do you?" she inquired. I stared at the cat, ready to protest.

It stared up at me with wide eyes, looking innocent and sweet in her arms. I knew better. It would bother me forever. But then again, so did Luffy and the rest of the crew. "It will fit right it," I told her. She stared at me for a moment.

"I suppose so," she toned before stroking its ear. The walk back to the ship was a silent one, neither of us speaking. Just before we reached it, I broke the silence.

"How big is that thing supposed to get?" I inquired. She stared down at the animal.

"Normal jaguars get to be quite large. I suppose it will grow to be the size of a tiger or so," she replied. I couldn't hold back a grimace. I could only hope by the time it grew that size, it wouldn't decide to pounce on my head once again.

The ship seemed empty when we reached it until Chopper rushed out at the sound of our footsteps. His eyes grew big at the sight of the cat in Robin's arms. They weren't fearful, however and he rushed to her. I observed as she introduced the cat to him and he began to speak to it, nodding sympathetically as he listened to a series of mews.

"He says he lost his mother recently and that he's happy that you found him, Robin," Chopper translated. A grin suddenly broke out on his face. "He likes Zoro, too, he thinks that he's some sort of playmate,"

…

The idiot cook and Nami were the first people besides us to return. When they did, the jaguar was with Robin, sitting next to her as she read a book. I was continuing my nap from earlier. Nami's horrified cry woke me up.

"What is that, Robin?" she practically yelled. Robin just looked at her calmly and stroked the content cat.

"A jaguar kit," she replied. The navigator seemed speechless.

"Why is it on the ship?" she asked.

"It's my new pet," Robin replied. Nami stared at her a moment more before closing her eyes, hitting her head and walking away, crying about her dear sister losing her mind. The ero cook reacted as he normally did, all fluff and no seriousness.

"Robin-chan is so beautiful when she's looking after a wild animal!" he cooed. Then the fluffiness slid right off. "What kind of food does it eat?" he inquired.

"I believe it will eat any type of meat," she replied. "I'm certain the captain can spare some of his meat to feed it," I doubted it. The idiot was obsessed with the food.

…

Franky, Usopp, Luffy and Brook all came back to the ship together, all looking depressed. Luffy was very clearly pouting. The first he came to when he came on board was me, sitting down calmly for him and staring at me sadly.

"Zoro, Franky won't let us get a kitten at the pet store to eat the rats. They're too young to be taken from their mom but I really want one," he told me like some disappointed little kid. I smiled at him, suddenly happy about the decision to bring the little demon back to the ship.

"Go see Robin," I told him. He frowned and sulked off in the direction of the archeologist. The other three were beginning to go inside when he exploded with happiness.

"Cool!" he cried, loud enough to make it echo across the deck. "Robin got us a pet!" The three froze and quickly made there way over to that direction where Luffy was, no doubt wondering what type of animal it was. I figured that their reactions would be entertaining so I walked over there with them.

Luffy was poking a finger at the jaguar kit, a huge grin on his face while Robin watched him carefully. The kitten had no worries, pouncing on his finger and biting. Luffy recoiled with a laugh, his finger stretching before he was able to recover it from the cat's grip.

"We should name it Panther Gorilla Dumpling!" Luffy told Robin. She smiled at him.

"His name is Saul," she told him lightly. Luffy nodded along. Brook and Usopp were staring at the cat with horror, Usopp pointing at it.

"Don't give it names!" he ordered. "It's dangerous," Luffy and Robin both gave him a look like he was crazy. Franky stared at the cat in clear disapproval. The archeologist noticed his gaze.

"I had to take him in, his mother died recently. He's an orphan," she told him. Almost instantly, Franky's eyes began to water as he stared at the cat before he began to cry, grabbing Brook next to him. The skeleton joined in the sadness.

"The poor thing," they wailed. The jaguar gave him a quick glance before smoothing down the fur Luffy had ruffled. It was clear that it was staying.

…

By dinnertime, the kit was accepted by all the crewmembers, sitting on Robin's lap the entire time, watching the fish swim in the tank. She noticed it and commented on it after dinner.

"We may have to block off the tank entrance from him somehow, Franky," she told the carpenter. "Jaguars are notorious for loving the water and I'm sure he wouldn't mind eating the fish, either," He nodded along.

"I could build him some sort of pool instead," Franky suggested. I decided it was time for me to get back to training, as far away from the creature as I could. It would distract me from training and that was the last thing I wanted. I left the room silently and went into the crow's nest, the one place on the ship that was safe from the jaguar kit.

As I began to train, my thoughts slipped away from the newest member of the crew to simply training. It was relaxing and calm, with nothing to disturb me, the sea air sweeping into the room through the trapdoor. The sun set with no distractions. Soon after, however, I began to hear the sound of something moving down below. I ignored it. It was probably just Robin settling down below with a book, as she did almost every night.

I sat on the floor to begin simply arm weights when the noise grew louder. Before I had time to wonder what it was, the jaguar kit scrambled up through the opening of the trapdoor, eyes excited and wild. It quickly began to scan the place, checking out every item in the room. I stared at it, wondering how it got up here. It couldn't have climbed all the way up here, could it? But if it hadn't there was no other way.

A loud sneeze echoed in the small room as the cat found some dust or something. The little ball of fur was stronger than he looked. I continued to lift, a new smile on my lips. Maybe the kit wouldn't be that much trouble after all and it was kinda cute. It was about then I began to feel a vibration at my waist. I looked down to find the jaguar gnawing at Wado's hilt, eyes intent. "OI!"

**A/N:** Comments on characterization would once again be appreciated. Thanks!


	3. The Mission for Meat

**a/n:** Hi! Thank you to everyone who reviewed. So I had another plot bunny that attacked with an idea for a story and here's the product. I hope everyone enjoys. Thanks to my wonderful beta, Tare-chan.

Random Tales

Chapter 3

The Mission for Meat

I watched the captain creep up on me silently although I didn't acknowledge his approach visibly as I turned the page of my book. It was quite a beautiful day to be on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, stretched out on the lawn, the sun beating down peacefully. I noticed silently that Luffy had a pout on, practically dissolving into the ground with whatever had gotten him so down. He seemed to be waiting for me to notice him, to ask him what was wrong.

The swordsman who was training nearby noticed Luffy's sadness quickly, sending him a questioning gaze. The captain picked up on it and slumped over to the first mate.

"Zoro," he whined. "Sanji says I don't get any meat at dinner," A slight smile caught the edge of my lips as I heard it. Ah, so that was it. It wasn't something unusual for the cook to get annoyed at the gluttonous captain for sneaking into the kitchen and eating everything in sight.

The swordsman continued lifting. "What did you do this time?" he asked. Luffy sat down nearby, hat shading his face.

"I just had a quick snack of some meat," he explained pitifully. In other words, he had probably eaten enough meat for someone else to constitute as a meal. Even so, it was abnormal for the cook to get mad enough to bar his meat privileges over such a simple thing. "And I might have knocked over the food Sanji was preparing for Nami,"

Now that made more sense. Sanji was overly protective of the snacks that he delivered to Nami and myself sometimes and got quite annoyed when one of the other crewmates did something to it. I smiled into my book.

Zoro sighed loudly. "It's not like you can do something about it now. He might have cooled down enough to let you have some at dinner," he advised. The captain shook his head.

"But he was really mad," he replied. "He's not going to be happy by dinnertime!"

"Then maybe you should do something to make him happier," Zoro suggested before his expression went slightly sarcastic towards the cook, "Get some girl to kiss him or something,"

Luffy brightened up slightly at that, his look that told others he had an idea appearing on his face. The big smile returned to his face. "Good idea!" he replied, before standing and hitting his open palm with his fist. "Yosh, I need to find some treasure to con Nami into kissing Sanji," he bubbled.

Zoro stared at him incredulously, looking like he was ready to say something more when Luffy shot himself across the deck. The swordsman shook his head and when back to training.

I laughed to myself quietly and went back to my book, wondering how this would be resolved. No doubt it made for an interesting day.

* * *

I was busy counting my money when Luffy bounded into the room, making me jump when the door slammed open. He was grinning the grin that made me know I would be hitting him for getting into trouble later on. I set down my current pile of money and turned to him, wanting to get this over with so I could go back to counting my money.

"Nami, if I pay you will you do something for me?" he inquired, almost innocently. I stared at him for a moment, considering my options. I could just turn him away right now and save myself the trouble of going through what was going to be, no doubt a painful process. I took a light breath and answered.

"It depends on what it is," I replied suspiciously. He continued to grin like an idiot, not answering. "What is it?" I inquired.

"I want you to kiss Sanji for me," he bubbled. I hit him on the head immediately, angry and disbelieving that he had just asked me such a thing.

"WHAT?" I screamed at him as he fell to the floor. He took a moment before standing back up and putting his hat back on.

"I need you to kiss Sanji so that he'll be in a good mood and give me meat," he explained. I stared at him, still annoyed.

"No," I told him flatly. As if I'd kiss the cook like that anyways, no matter if there was treasure involved. And knowing Luffy, it wouldn't be worthwhile treasure either. He started to pout in an instant.

"But Nami…" he whined. I shook my head.

"No," I repeated. "If Sanji's mad at you, then you should apologize, not get me to kiss him,"

"But he's really mad!" Luffy said. I shook my head and pointed out of the room.

"No. Now get out," I told him sternly. He was practically drooping on the floor as he left, closing the door behind him. I sighed and went back to my money, wondering how he had got such a stupid idea in his head.

* * *

The captain returned in as low spirits as before as he went and sat by the swordsman, who was now trying to take a nap. One of Zoro's eyes opened slowly.

"Nami said no, didn't she?" he inquired. Luffy nodded sadly.

"Now I won't get my meat," the captain moaned, his gaze going skyward. Suddenly, he seemed to notice me, watching in amusement, book sitting on the ground next to me. He bounced back up quickly, smile returning to his face. Next thing I knew, he was beside me, hope shining on his face. "Hey, Robin, you're a girl, aren't you?" he inquired.

I smiled at him and nodded. "Last time I checked," I replied in amusement. He nodded seriously.

"Then you can kiss Sanji," he stated.

"I suppose so," I laughed. Zoro got up and walked over, grumbling to himself.

"Luffy, let it go," he told the captain. "I'll go talk to the idiot cook," Luffy shook his head.

"But then he'll get mad at you too and I won't be able to steal your meat!" he explained to the first mate. The look of shock on the swordsman's face for a moment was priceless before he looked annoyed.

"Oi, you're not supposed to steal my food just because you don't have any!" he scolded Luffy, sounding irritated. Luffy didn't seem to pay attention, just continued to stare at me in hope.

"Will you kiss Sanji for me?" he inquired. I pursed my lips and pretended to think about it. It truly wasn't an issue since I hadn't had any reason to believe in love or any such thing when I was younger. To me, a kiss meant nothing at all. It was simply just another physical action.

"If he's still mad at dinnertime, I will," I told him in amusement. Luffy's grin grew before he bounded off, in much better spirits, going to go visit Usopp and Franky, who were building some type of contraption upon the deck.

The swordsman sent me an unreadable look. "You didn't have to do that," he muttered. I tilted my head slightly and sat up, grabbing my book.

"No," I inquired softly. A small smile came to my lips as I watched the captain's newly energetic actions. "But it made him so happy," I murmured softly. I stood and passed by Zoro silently, ignoring his almost confused gaze.

* * *

Luffy was already sitting at the dinner table when I walked in, his sad face making a return. Sanji was glaring at him from behind the counter, looking quite serious. Zoro sat watching the two of them, his expression unreadable. Chopper, Usopp and Franky sat near each other, talking about something animatedly. I sat down by the captain without a word and he looked up slowly. When he saw it was me, his grin resurfaced.

"Robin, Sanji still won't let me have any meat," he complained. My gaze went to the cook, an amused smile appearing on my lips.

"No?" I murmured. He nodded, shooting a scowl at the cook before looking at me expectantly. I rose to my feet slowly and walked over to the cook, who quickly brightened.

"Robin-chan," he said happily. "Do you need something?" I nodded lightly and leaned against the counter with a small smile.

"I was hoping you might let the captain have some meat," I told him. "He gets so pitiful when he doesn't have any," The cook's expression darkened.

"Sorry," he replied. "But that's not going to happen. The shithead ruined Nami-san's drink," I sighed lightly, knowing that it would be best to handle this situation delicately. After all, it wouldn't be good for the cook to faint on the grill, as he was surely to do once I did what Luffy asked.

The sound of the door opening caught both of our attentions as Nami walked in with a big smile and sat down at the table. The cook sent me a smile.

"I should serve dinner," he murmured and went around me to put the plates on the table. The lack of meat on the table was clear and the captain melted further when he realized that he wouldn't be able to steal meat from anyone. My gaze stopped on an additional plate on the counter which was clearly piled with meat but in a place it could be protected by the cook. I smiled when the cook returned, leaning closer to his face.

"Are you certain you won't reconsider?" I inquired. He seemed a little overwhelmed with me that close but still nodded. "What if he does something to make up for it?" Sanji seemed to consider it for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess so," he muttered. I smiled happily.

"Then will this do?" I inquired. He looked confused for a moment before I gave him a slight peck on the cheek. He dropped to the floor in an instant, eyes becoming hearts, babbling 'Mellorine'. I watched in amusement for a moment before taking the tray of meat, walking it over to the captain and setting it before him.

"Here you are," I told him happily before sitting down and beginning to eat my own food while the rest of the crew stared in shock for a few moments. Seconds later, the room was quite loud as the noisier of the crew reacted verbally. The smile seemed to be somehow stuck on my face as I ate. If there was one thing this crew was, it was never boring.

**a/n: **I hope everyone enjoyed and reviews are always appreciated!


	4. The Secret Garden

**a/n:** Hi! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I appreciated them so much! Also thank you to my awesome beta, Tare-chan! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as the rest.

Random Tales

Chapter 4

The Secret Garden

I skipped along in the grass, eyes searching for herbs that could be used for medicine. I was running low on several and with any luck, this island would have those particular herbs. I was worried that if I didn't have enough herbs, the crew would get sick and I could do nothing to save them. For a moment, panic overtook me as I thought about the situation, at my crewmates faces when they found out I couldn't save them. I shook my head quickly to get rid of the thoughts, telling myself that everything would be fine.

A soft tap on my shoulder made me jump into the air in shock, eyes frantically searching for an attack, heart pounding in my chest as I hoped I wasn't going to be killed. Robin's amused face stared down at me instead, backpack slung over her shoulders. My heart slowed down after a few moments as I stared up at the archeologist. She spoke first.

"Find anything interesting?" she inquired sweetly. I shook my head.

"I haven't seen any herbs I can use," I explained, an edge of fear in my voice that I heard clearly. She smiled sympathetically, her gaze going to the forest around us. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a book, shuffling through the pages. She looked like she was thinking for a while before she looked back at me.

"There's supposed to be an ancient civilization on this island whose people were excellent doctors," she informed me. I perked up at her words.

"Really?" I asked, excited. She nodded and looked back down at her book with a frown.

"The authors of this book say that they found anherb garden on this island, leftover from the civilization," she told me. My excitement rose.

"Where is it?" I asked her. She shook her head.

"I'm unsure," she replied. I slumped in disappointment. An herb garden from a group of doctors would be a good find for me. Robin smiled down at me. "But they drew a map that is supposed to lead to it. Would you like to help me try and find it?" she inquired.

I stared up at her in amazement. "Do you really think we can find it?" I bubbled. She tilted her head before nodding firmly.

"Of course," she assured me. "You're quite clever, after all," I felt a blush rise up on my cheeks at her compliment, my whole body moving around as I tried to hide my embarrassment at her comment.

"Saying something like that won't make me happy, you bastard," I told her. She didn't react beyond her smile growing bigger. She slowly sat down next to me and showed me the book page with the map on it. Her fingers pointed to a bunch of trees in the map before her eyes flicked to the trees around us.

"According to the map, we should be around here. I believe the landmark they called 'the devil's trees' are those trees up ahead," she commented. I followed her gaze and quickly leaped back at the sight of the creepy landmark which looked like it was ready to attack us. I felt safer when I felt her leg against my back, watching the trees carefully. Robin didn't seem to notice, just peered at the trees around us, eyes flicking to the map every now and then. Finally, she stood and pointed past the creepy tree.

"I think we need to go that way," she told me. I gulped as I looked at the tree and how it looked like it would grab us as we walked by it.

"A-are you sure?" I asked her. She smiled.

"Yes," she told me. I stared at the tree and moved closer to her. Her gaze followed me in amusement. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from anything," she assured me. I imagined what Zoro would say if he knew I was getting scared because of a tree and that helped me gather courage. Zoro wouldn't be afraid of a tree and if he were, he would face it. I took a deep breath and started to walk towards the tree. Robin followed silently.

We passed the tree without anything happening, to my relief, although my heart was still pounding in my chest. From there, I followed as Robin walked to the edge of a deep cliff, a frown appearing on her face. I stared at the edge of the cliff in terror, knowing that it would be a long way down if we fell. Robin glanced down at her book and back at the cliff. Her gaze went to me.

"We need to find a way to cross this canyon," she informed me. I stared at her in horror. She began to move again and I followed on shaky limbs. After a few hundred feet, a small bridge appeared over the canyon, shaking in the wind, pieces clearly missing from it. I expected Robin to ignore it but she went closer until we were standing in front of the dangerous thing. I gulped.

"We're not going to try and cross that, are we, Robin?" I asked in terror. She looked down at me in surprise.

"Of course we are," she replied. Her gaze went to the bridge scanning the entire thing. "Let's go," she told me before starting to walk across, attention on the planks she calmly walked across. I watched in terror, watching the pieces still intact tremble under her weight, threatening to break. She stepped on one and it quickly snapped, making her fall out of sight. My heart stopped in my chest.

"Robin!" I screamed in horror. She appeared a few moments later, a line of hands pulled her up from the hole she had fallen through. She boosted herself back up with a light smile, sighing as she brushed off the wood splinters on her pants. Her gaze went to me.

"Are you coming, Chopper?" she inquired, not sounding scared in the least. I stared at the hole in the bridge and gulped, my whole body starting to tremble in fear. She smiled lightly at me. "I won't let anything happen to you," she assured me. I gulped before taking a look down at the winding river below that was only a line and looking at the archeologist waiting for me.

My heart pounded in my chest seconds before I ran across the distance without looking down. I waited for my body to begin falling and for me to die but it never happened and I was soon next to Robin. I jumped on her in a second, clutching her leg as I shivered with fear. I took a deep breath of relief before my gaze went down, my eyes practically jumping out of my skull with fear as I took in the distance.

The next thing I knew, Robin had picked me up with a smile and was walking to the other side of the bridge as it swayed back and forth dangerously. The second we reached ground, I breathed in relief. Robin set me down soon after with a proud smile.

"You did good, Chopper," she told me. "You're very brave," I blushed and squirmed around. Her gaze went to a crack in the rocks nearby and she quickly went towards the area. I watched her go before following. She ducked through the crack in the rock. I eyed the blackness within with a hint of fear before I rushed after here, making sure I stayed close to her. She reached down and took a hold of my hoof after a second or two.

We walked in the darkness for what seemed to be forever, fear pulsing through my body as I hoped that everything would be okay. I was relieved when I saw a halo of light in the distance. Robin seemed similarly relieved and she began to run, pulling me along for a moment before I started running as well.

We burst out into the blue looking light and my breath was quickly taken away by the neat garden of herbs that filled the area around us, a gap in the rocks above up us gave the plants light, filling the entire cave with a blow looking glow. Robin seemed more interested in the carvings on the walls around us and rushed to examine them. I went into the herb garden, amazed by all the different herbs within it. My gaze went around all the herbs and I was excited to find that every herb I needed was there, along with several I didn't recognize.

I put my pack down slowly before I began to pick off leaves from plants I need leaves from. Several of the herb's roots were needed and I dug those up as well, a smile on my face. After a while, Robin leaned down and joined in. Her face was thoughtful after a while.

"We might want to take some of these plants with us," she told me. "I could plant some in my garden and then you wouldn't need to search for them."

I grinned at her. "That's a really good idea!" I exclaimed. She laughed lightly before beginning to dig up some of the plants whose leaves I just needed and placing them in my bag.

We finished gathering herbs after what seemed to be forever. I collapsed against the ground, tired when we were done. Robin's gaze went to the fading light coming through the hole in the rock above us

"We should return to the ship," she suggested. I nodded, trying to keep myself from dozing off. Robin noticed and before I could protest, she had picked me up, cradling me in her arms.

"I can walk by myself, Robin!" I protested. She simply smiled at me.

"Just rest for now," she told me. "I'll be fine," I started to protest before she started to walk and I found myself drifting off quickly, too tired to argue.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Someone was shaking me lightly, a quiet voice suggesting I wake up. I woke up slowly, the world blurry around me until Robin's face sharpened. I was suddenly awake, worried that we were under attack or that something bad had happened. Robin's face was smiling.

"We're almost back to the ship," she informed me. I was suddenly embarrassed by the fact that she had carried me like that, knowing the other would think I was weak if they found out. Robin seemed to realize this and set me down. I scanned the area to make sure that no one else was around and thankfully, there wasn't. I noticed the sun was setting.

As we walked, I sniffed the air as I slowly recognized the smell of Sanji's cooking. My excitement rose when I recognized the smell of cookies. My pace quickened in response while Robin trailed behind. I slowed down with a blush, not wanting to make her feel like she had to hurry. We reached the ship pretty quickly, anyways.

Zoro leaned over the railing as we approached with a grin on his face. "Did you find lots of herbs?" he asked me. I nodded happily.

"Yeah. Look at all these!" I called back up to him, offering up my bag of herbs for his inspection. Usopp appeared next to him, his eyes widening as he caught sight of my bag.

"That's a lot of medicine!" he exclaimed. "How did you get so much?"

I smiled at him before catching sight of Robin, who was watching the exchange with a light smile. "I can't tell you," I replied. "Its Robin and I's secret!"

**a/n:** I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and I would love to hear some feedback! ; )


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